Presenter Joost Karhof dies suddenly at age 48

Nieuwsuur presenter Joost Karhof died unexpectedly on Tuesday, his employer NOS announced. The 48-year-old man became unwell at home and died in the ambulance on his way to hospital.

Karhof was best known for presenting current affairs program Nieuwsuur. He also regularly presented NPO Radio 1 Nieuws & Co as stand-in for Lara Rense. Karhof presented the Grote Geschiedenis Quiz, the Great History Quiz in English, on several occasions and worked as replacement for Matthijs van Niekerk on De Wereld Draait Door on Mondays.

The editors in chief for Nieuwsuur and NOS Nieuws called Karhof a "very committed and beloved colleague, always helpful, always social, a knowledgeable presenter, and above all a nice person" in a first reaction. "We are going to miss him immensely." In a Memoriam, the editors state that they "don't want to look back on Joost's career yet". "But now that it is suddenly cruelly inevitable, it becomes clear once again how varied his career was."

Former colleague Ferry Mingelen called his death "sad news", according to NU.nl. "I worked long with him in Den Haag Vandaag and Nova/Nieuwsuur. He was a good journalist and a very nice colleague", he said. United States correspondent Arjen van der Horst said: "Our dear colleague passed away. What sad news." VPRO colleague Dirk Jan Roevelen called Karhof a "sweet, smart and friendly boy".

A number of politicians also praised Karhof's journalistic work. "His cool, almost nonchalant, but very sharp interview style was an enrichment", GroenLinks parliamentarian Zihni Ozdil said. "Struck by the sudden death of Joost Karhof. He was an expert journalist who understood his profession. I wish his family all the strength with this great loss." CDA leader Sybrand Buma said on Twitter.

A photo posted on Twitter by Nieuws & Co on Christmas Day, showing Karhof in a Christmas sweater smiling next to a Christmas tree, is also being massively shared on the social media platform.